Senate President Mike Haridopolos

While politicians in Washington, D.C., struggle with our nation’s debt, out-of-control spending and the recent downgrade in our nation’s credit rating by Standard & Poor's, Florida received an upgrade from the same credit rating agency from negative to stable.

This upgrade was a direct result of the actions that we took during the 2011 legislative session. From reducing spending, decreasing taxes and eliminating red tape so that Floridians can get back to work, to making Florida the state of opportunity for businesses and families alike by reforming our state’s entitlement programs, including our state’s pension, welfare and Medicaid systems.

While we are proud of these accomplishments, the most important achievement of the 2011 legislative session was balancing our state’s budget, in spite of a $4 billion budget shortfall, without raising a single tax or fee on hard-working Florida families.

While they talk about "cut, cap, and balance" in Washington, D.C., we actually did it here in Florida. We cut spending by $4 billion to balance our state budget, and we put a spending cap on the ballot for voters to consider next November. And we are all grateful to our budget chairman, Sen. J.D. Alexander. Under his leadership, we streamlined government, cut billions in state spending, and provided more than $300 million in tax relief, including the back-to-school tax holiday.

We are all hopeful that this balanced budget will revive the Florida economy and make sure that when the economy does recover, we spend money smarter and in such a way that empowers all Floridians.

Our state Constitution doesn’t allow us to live beyond our means, and we are committed to not only balancing our budget this year without tax or fee increases, but next year as well. Because if we offer stability, predictability, and certainty to businesses and entrepreneurs in Florida and around the country, we are confident that Florida’s best days are still ahead.

Thank you for your time, and we encourage you to stay tuned for our next video on Medicaid Reform.

This guest column by Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos was an e-mail distributed Tuesday evening by the Senate President's Office.
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